Abstract

We describe a method for generating a variety of chemically diverse broadly responsive low-power vapor sensors. The chemical polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of plasticizers has yielded conducting organic polymer films whose resistivities are sensitive to the identity and concentration of various vapors in air. An array of such sensing elements produced a chemically reversible diagnostic pattern of electrical resistance changes upon exposure to different odorants. Principal component analysis has demonstrated that such sensors can identify and quantify different airborne organic solvents and can yield information on the components of gas mixtures.

Blood-sucking sand flies from disparate global regions have a predilection for feeding on the marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa), and the findings hint at a potential avenue for controlling sand flies, which can transmit leishmaniasis.